MPT CAST Guide

Internet Radio Troubleshooting Guide: When the Stream Will Not Play

A systematic way to troubleshoot a radio stream, player, metadata, HTTPS, and mobile playback problems.

Internet Radio Troubleshooting Guide: When the Stream Will Not Play

Start with the public stream URL

Test the raw stream outside the website. If the stream itself is unavailable, changing website JavaScript will not fix the underlying source. Confirm that the endpoint returns the expected content and that it is reachable from a different network.

Test another browser

If the raw stream works in one environment but not another, compare the player implementation, protocol support, autoplay behavior, and mixed-content rules. Keep notes about which exact browser and device succeeded.

Check HTTPS

A secure website should normally use secure resources. If the station page is HTTPS but the player requests an insecure HTTP stream, the browser may block the request as mixed content.

Separate stream problems from player problems

A useful diagnostic sequence is: public stream, player library, JavaScript console, network request, then UI. This prevents spending an hour changing CSS when the stream endpoint itself is offline.

Check metadata separately

A stream can play while metadata is missing or incorrect. Treat now-playing information as a separate layer and verify the station API or metadata source independently.

Document the fix

Once a working configuration is found, record the stream URL, player settings, protocol, and browser tests. This makes future troubleshooting much faster.

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